The song's title references Led Zeppelin's classic “Stairway to Heaven,” a point Plant said was intentional when Carry Fire was first announced last year. “I respect and relish my past works, but each time I feel the incentive to create new work, I must mix old with new," he noted at the time. "Consequently, the whole impetus of the band has moved on its axis somewhat – the new sound and different space giving way to exciting and dramatic landscapes of mood, melody and instrumentation.”

You can watch the live video for "The May Queen" below.

Earlier this year, Plant discussed his approach to writing music, arguing that it was a craft rather than an art. “Art’s a heavy word,” he said. “I think ‘craft’ is the term I would use. … I think you grow into what might initially be an infatuation with the idea of entering something very special, very daring. And as a kid, as a young teenager, I was drawn to the lights because I came – like so many kids out of my generation in Britain – we came from a kind of very gray, post-war … the residue of a lot of pain and strife.”

Plant added that he's been "a music fan, and a fan of all things interesting and occasionally unique, all my life. … So I’m always a member of the audience and an entertainer, really.” Repeating his assertion that music is a craft, he acknowledged that “sometimes it’s clever – sometimes it’s a real flop.”

Plant continues to tour in support of Carry Fire, with two U.K. dates this month followed by more North American shows from June 8-29.